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Tariffs have the potential to affect the price of a wide range of things, including homes.

Currently, interest rates for homebuyers are at their lowest since October 2024, down 1%. The average mortgage loan from lenders is around 6.5%, but if you are planning to build a house, the upfront cost can be much higher.

“Rising rates have caused volatility in the stock market,” said Misty Stenmark, a home buying specialist with Heather Murphy Real Estate Group. “So that means investors will move their money into bonds as a safer option. The increased demand for bonds drives down yields and that ultimately leads to lower interest rates, which is what we’re seeing now. We have the lowest interest rates right now that we’ve seen since October of last year.”

Tariffs against countries around the world will go into effect on April 5 and April 9. The good news for homebuyers is the decline in interest rates from lenders.

“Lower interest rates and higher inventory mean now is a great time to buy,” Stenmark said. “If you’re in a position to buy. So even with some economic uncertainty, Savannah remains resilient. We’re fortunate to have great growth in manufacturing and logistics, and that ultimately keeps our housing market stable.”

If you’re building a custom home, Misty said materials such as Canadian softwood, steel, aluminum and equipment components for HVAC and other appliances can be compromised. She said most builders are charging around $300 per square foot, up from the low $200s they’ve seen.

“Lately, custom building is a little more expensive than buying a home that already exists,” Stenmark said.

Misty said it’s highly unlikely we’ll have a major housing market crash like in 2008 because of the demand here in Savannah.

“Don’t expect a housing market like 2008,” Stenmark said. “You know, ultimately the demand is there. And with that demand that will drive prices up, so we don’t expect prices to come down as much as some people do. In fact, they’ve gone up an average of four and a half percent, so the experts expect that to continue.”

We reached out to Georgia Ports to see if they had anything to say about the incoming tariffs and this was their statement

“We are closely monitoring the ongoing tariff discussions and related developments. Yesterday we released our March container numbers, which showed record volumes at the Port of Savannah. Next week, we will release our Brunswick Port numbers for March.”